


The Wrong Order Of Things

by rainarchives



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi is a simp, Alternate Universe - Amusement Park, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anyways, BokuAka Week, BokuAka Week 2020, College Student Akaashi Keiji, Fluff, In a Bookstore, Intern Akaashi Keiji, M/M, Mentioned Hanamaki Takahiro, Mentioned Hinata Shouyou, Mentioned Kuroo Tetsurou, Mentioned Miya Atsumu, Mentioned Miya Osamu, Mentioned Tsukishima Kei, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Mutual Pining, They're awkward children, bokuaka supremacy, cuteness, especially snakes in hats, fluff fluff fluff, i love them, they're very cute, you should all search up animals in hats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainarchives/pseuds/rainarchives
Summary: “Oh, uh, he’s gone on a friend boy with his trip.” Bokuto blurted out. “No wait, he trip on a friend with his gone boy! No, ah, fuck.”The man simply stared at him, utter bewilderment pictured on his face. Bokuto felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment as he covered his face in his hands and suppressed a groan. And then he heard laughter. It was a beautiful laugh, sounding like tinkling bells mixed in with a little giggle, and it was just so cute. He stared in awe at the man in front of him as he lifted his glasses to wipe the tears forming in his eyes.Or, in which both Bokuto and Akaashi do everything in the wrong order; from the sentences they speak, or the dates they go one. But it's okay, it works out in the end... Well at least, Akaashi hopes it does.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. You're Not Supposed To Tell Akaashi That, Bokuto!

**Author's Note:**

> To set the mood, I highly recommend listening to "Beauty and the Beast" but like the piano cover of the song. That's what I wrote this chapter based on so yes, highly recommend that. 
> 
> Also quick shoutout to my three editors (not sure if they want their names mentioned but yeah) that went through, corrected, criticised, and absolutely tore my writing to shreds to make it what it is today. You should all appreciate their hard work going through 6 pages of arial size 10 font on google docs to nitpick my writing, not many people would actually do that (sadly). 
> 
> But ahhhh.... It's bokuaka week, so enjoy this to your hearts content!

Bokuto Koutarou had never been one for calm places. But when his friend, Hinata Shoyo, had asked for help with his bookstore, he couldn’t reject the pleading eyes that begged him for his help. And so here Bokuto was, stuck in a quiet antique bookstore at 7am in the morning, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. He suppressed a yawn as he thought of the following month ahead of him where he had to maintain the store. 

The bookstore itself was confined to a small space. However, Hinata had managed to turn it into a cozy and beautiful reading place and store. Each of the bookshelves were made of a beautiful dark brown-ish red mahogany that stood holding countless books up to eye level for customers to adore on each of the walls to match the cream coloured wallpaper and mahogany wood beams. They were shrouded by grapevines that grew out of planter boxes at the foot, winding and twisting as they hugged themselves close to the beams which held up the top floor of the bookstore. It wasn’t much of a floor, Bokuto thought, but rather miniature balconies that looked down at the floor beneath them, each one with a polished wooden fence and decorated with countless pillows and beanbags for one to cuddle up on to read. Each of these balconies had circular Victorian style windows through which the rays of the sun would cast a golden glow upon the store, dust particles floating like miniature feathers in the wind; up, down, and all around as calming piano music played over the speakers, filling the store with a homey and comfortable feel—perfect for reading books. In the center, a magnificent crystal chandelier that was held up by interconnected chains which were anchored to the ceiling; and when the light hit, rainbows danced across the floor, walls, and parts of the ceiling—anywhere the reflected light could reach. 

To the left of the store stood a vintage-looking cafe, run by a man called Tsukishima Kei. He and Hinata did not seem to get along very well, yet they also seemed to work perfectly to coordinate both their stores to fit within their shared space. Each of the tables in the cafe were of a slightly lighter shade than that of the wall, and each of the chairs gathered around the tables had a green cushion, slightly softer than the colour of the grapevines that creeped along the beams, with the main chair being an oatmeal brown to compliment the cushions. There were two of each chair situated on either side of the miniature tables, enough to fit a tray of food with a little extra space on each side. Larger tables were situated in the middle of the cafe, each surrounded by four to six individual chairs where people could have meetings. The walls of the cafe were the same as that of the bookstore, and had long windows like those in castles where light would stream in from the street and cast a faint glow upon the cafe. 

Bokuto, who had been so engrossed in looking around the bookstore didn’t notice when a man walked in. He didn’t notice when the door creaked, nor when the bell rang. He only noticed when said man stood in front of him, his dark framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He sported a slightly oversized cream turtleneck with a sandy coloured coat over the top. A pair of faded skinny jeans clung to his legs while a couple of plain white battered-up sneakers encased his feet. Slung over his shoulder was an old Jansports backpack, the bag straps worn thin due to the amount of times it had been used and yet his impeccable fashion sense wasn’t what Bokuto was focused on. In fact, all he really was focused on was the striking colour of his blue gunmetal eyes that stood behind those rounded square lenses, and the fact he stood there, looking so perfectly _perfect_. 

“Hello?” The man said. 

“Oh, uh, hi?” Bokuto responded, snapping out of his momentary shock, clearing his throat. 

“I was asking where Hinata was. Have you seen him by any chance?”

“Oh, uh, he’s gone on a friend boy with his trip.” Bokuto blurted out. “No wait, he trip on a friend with his gone boy! No, ah, fuck.”

The man simply stared at him, utter bewilderment pictured on his face. Bokuto felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment as he covered his face in his hands and suppressed a groan. And then he heard laughter. It was a beautiful laugh, sounding like tinkling bells mixed in with a little giggle, and it was just so _cute_. He stared in awe at the man in front of him as he lifted his glasses to wipe the tears forming in his eyes. It was only when his laughter began to fade that Bokuto seemed to snap out of his trance and glared at him. 

“Why are you laughing!?” he asked, crossing his arms defensively, a pout on his face. _As much as this guy was beautiful, he sure is an ass for laughing_ , Bokuto thought, all feelings he had felt when staring at the boy disappearing in an instant.

“Nothing,” the man said, a grin still visible on his face. Bokuto huffed. 

“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” Bokuto muttered under his breath. 

“I heard that, y’know.” 

“I heard that, y’know,” Bokuto mocked, his lips turned down in a fake frown. The guy chuckled. 

“Well, I was gonna ask Hinata to join me over a coffee, but would you like to join me instead?” Bokuto perked up at this. 

_Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee_ , Bokuto thought, _coffee and most of all,_ free _coffee at that_. 

“Free coffee?” The man giggled. 

“Yeah, free coffee,” he said, a smile on his face. 

“Sure!” Bokuto replied as a brilliant smile lit up his entire face. 

— 

“Wait, you play volleyball too?!” Bokuto exclaimed, leaning over the table to move closer to the man, whose name he had learnt to be Akaashi Keiji. A faint blush could be seen making its way on Akaashi’s face. 

“Yeah, I used to play setter in high school,” he said, looking down at his coffee. 

“That’s so cool! I play wing spiker!” Bokuto chirped back before leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his latte. His voice was so bright and energetic it made Akaashi glance at the boy once again. His eyes were distant as he appeared to be lost in thought but his mouth moved, and he seemed to be speaking. 

But Akaashi wasn’t listening. Instead, he stared. This was not how he had reacted exactly 20 minutes ago. Where had the boy that stuttered over his sentences go, and what had a singular cup of coffee done to him? As confusing as that was, Akaashi couldn’t help but watch in wonder. However, the longer he watched the boy, the more beautiful he seemed to become. The way the light would reflect off the silver tips in his hair; the way his eyes flickered between being the colour of the moments in which the sun would cast a blanket of gold across the land, or being the colour of amber tree resin which would hold people captive with one look, just like how amber itself would preserve insects for centuries on end; and the way in which his smile could light up New York City after dark brighter than any billboards could ever do. The way he glowed, his aura, and most of all, his smile. The way he spoke so passionately, and the way he poured his everything into every single word he said, all of it captivated Akaashi. And before he knew it, his heart raced at every word Bokuto said, mesmerising him. 

“Akaashi!” Bokuto called out, waving a hand in front of the man’s face. 

“Huh?” 

“You weren’t listening, were you?” Bokuto pouted, and his spiked up hair almost seemed to droop as he talked, sadness shining through his eyes. 

“No, no, no, I was!” Akaashi said frantically, waving his hands in an effort to assure the boy that he indeed had been listening.

“Then what was I talking about?” 

“Uhhh…” 

“See, Akaashi!” Bokuto held out his index finger threateningly, “You weren’t listening!”

Akaashi was about to reply when the doorbell to the bookstore rang, signalling the arrival of another customer. Bokuto immediately stood up to greet them and welcome them into the store. 

“I’m gonna go back to work, Akaashi, but thanks for the coffee!” Bokuto grinned. _Oh, that smile_ , Akaashi thought as the butterflies in his stomach failed to calm, sending him into a whirlwind of emotions. A small smile made its way onto Akaashi’s face as he grabbed out his laptop to work on his article regarding attention span for a literary magazine. 

But then he realised something. He didn’t know when he realised, or what it was that had made him realise. Was it when his attention span had started to drift from fully formed sentences to romantic daydreams about cafe dates and dancing in a bookstore that gave it away? Or maybe it was when he began to doodle various umbrellas with the letter’s B.K and A.K underneath when he realised? Or perhaps it was even when he caught himself staring at the amber-eyed boy from across the room that Kuroo, one of the waiters at the cafe and a friend of his, had come out from behind the counter and whispered in his ear, “staring at lover boy?” that it hit him? But in the end, it all came down to the same conclusion. 

Oh, fuck. He had a crush. 

— 

“Akaashi! Listen to me,” Bokuto said, holding the boy’s cheeks with his two hands. “Animals. In. Hats.”

“Yes, Bokuto, I heard you,” he tried to say. Although with his cheeks squished it sounded a little more like “‘Eth O’uto, I ‘eard woo.” His tone was exasperated, and yet he couldn’t help but have his heart skip a beat as he looked into those golden pools of ichor in Bokuto’s eyes, “but animals in hats? What about them?”

“They’re so cute!” 

Bokuto's eyes were glowing with happiness and Akaashi watched as the boy whipped out his phone to scroll through his gallery to find a photo of a white snake with a small army helmet perched on the top of it’s head. It looked like it was made out of clay, and Akaashi couldn’t help but admit that it _did_ look cute. But after twenty-nine days of knowing Bokuto, he knew he shouldn’t express this to him out loud or his ego would inflate ten-fold like it did the first time he ever agreed with Bokuto. Oh, how naive he was a mere 26 hours ago. 

“Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed, “You’re not listening again!”

“I’m sorry, Bokuto,” he said, “I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

 _Ah fuck_ , he thought, _quick Akaashi! Think! Anything, just don’t let him know you were thinking about him!_ Thoughts ran through his head faster than the speed of light. He needed a split-second decision. Anything. 

“Akaashi…?” Bokuto said, questioningly, gazing at him with such an intensity that he nearly forgot what he was going to say. 

“Oh, it’s just about this scene I’m editing for my internship at a literary magazine company.”

“Ooh! Akaashi, what is it? I’ll help you!”

“Oh it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“C’mon, Akaashi,” Bokuto pouted. “You bought me coffee the other day, I’ll help you out!”

Oh no… When Bokuto got like this there was no stopping him. His stubborn personality was a pain in the ass to deal with, and yet his mind was an interesting one. Being a psychology student, it interested him as to how people’s minds worked, and Bokuto’s was, by far, one of the most interesting. As simple-minded as he seemed, it was his thought process, constant mood swings, and his ability to be _somewhat_ easily swayed by compliments, and yet also his thirst to be better, learn new things and his determination to go through with things he loved. Yesterday was a good example of this. Bokuto had taken it upon himself to beat Akaashi’s own Subway Surfers score which was currently sitting at 4,325,563, and wouldn’t give up till he had completed his goal. And he did, after a gruelling 3 hours of not talking to anyone, simply sitting on the spinning desk chair behind the bookstore’s counter doing nothing but playing on his phone, the Subway Surfers music playing aloud for the entire world to hear. Akaashi could see Tsukishima who was working behind the counter of the cafe looking like he was about to smash a cup if he heard the familiar tune one more time after the second hour had passed. Thank the lords above, Bokuto was able to wrap up in 3 hours and managed to beat Akaashi’s score by a measly 7 points, meaning Tsukishima wouldn’t throw a cup at the boy’s head. Yet… The thoughts of the day before were quickly faded when Bokuto spoke again, a paper in his hand.

“Oh, a ballroom dance scene!” Bokuto said, his eyes shining as he looked at the paper draft of the literary piece. 

“Yeah,” Akaashi said, slightly surprised because he hadn't actually read that far into the narrative. 

He was still stuck on the first page because, as much as he hated to admit it, Bokuto was a huge distraction. That was not Akaashi’s fault, or so he wanted to believe. The only reason he even came to the bookstore more often than usual was to get a glance of the boy, to make sure that he was indeed real, and perhaps to get lost in those amber coloured eyes again. 

“Hey, we should dance,” Bokuto said, his eyes sparkling.

“Yeah…” Akaashi sighed, a small smile on face, not fully processing what Bokuto had said. “Wait… WHAT?!”

“C’mon Akaashi, it’ll be fun.” Bokuto smiled, taking Akaashi’s hands in his and pulling him out of his seat. “And besides, how are you supposed to edit something you know nothing about? You can only edit things to the best of your ability if you have first hand experience.”

“B-but, I don’t know how to dance! And I also have to leave soon!” Akaashi interjected, a worried expression replacing his relaxed smile. 

“Just follow my lead, it won’t take that long,” And with that Bokuto quickly tapped in a song on YouTube and set his volume to the highest. The first piano notes began to play and Akaashi arched an eyebrow. 

“Beauty and the Beast?” he asked, slightly amused. 

“Hey, in my defense it was the first song I thought of,” he said, raising his hands up. Akaashi rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. 

“What? Are you a huge Disney nerd?” Akaashi asked, taking Bokuto’s hand in one, and letting the other rest on his shoulder. Bokuto responded by putting a hand on Akaashi’s waist and they began to sway to the music. 

“Excuse me, Disney isn’t for nerds, it’s for people with taste.” 

“Oh, really?” Akaashi cocked an eyebrow. 

“Mhm…” Bokuto said, guiding the boy in a couple of steps back and forth till Akaashi got the hang of it. Akaashi stared at Bokuto, matching his movements. _God, he’s beautiful_ , Akaashi thought. It was then that Akaashi had realised how close they were actually standing, each of them only a hair’s breadth away from each other. 

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, no, nothing,” Akaashi quickly replied, a slight blush staining his cheeks. 

“That’s not very convincing, y’know.” 

Akaashi just mumbled something unintelligible under his breath in response, looking down at his shoes, which stepped in time to Bokuto’s own movements.

“Akaashi, you do know I can’t hear you if you speak like that,” he said, lifting his face with one hand. His face was hot, a result of blushing. 

“Ijustsaidyou’reprettybutit’snothing!” he blurted out, completely flustered. 

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down,” Bokuto chuckled, his kind eyes watching Akaashi, so intense, and yet so beautiful. 

“You!” Akaashi shouted, using the hand that was on his shoulder to jab him in the chest. “Pretty!”

“Huh?” Bokuto said, confused, not fully processing what had been said. “HUH?!” 

“Ah, forget it,” Akaashi said, moving to pull away from the close quarters he was in with Bokuto. However, before he could move out of arm's reach, Bokuto had pulled him back close again, resulting in Akaashi crashing into his chest. Akaashi was gonna move to protest, but Bokuto immediately shushed him, holding him close.

“Hey, you know I think you’re pretty too,” Bokuto whispered in his ear. 

The feeling of his hot breath against Akaashi’s ear made a shiver run through his entire body. A fiery red blush made its way across Akaashi’s face as he felt Bokuto bury his head into his shoulder. Akaashi didn’t want to move, the feeling of Bokuto’s body against his was irreplaceable and he loved it. 

“Hey,” Akaashi laughed awkwardly, “what do we do now?”

“Oh, right, yeah,” Bokuto said, pulling away and clearing his throat. “Uh, Akaashi Keiji, I know we met a month ago, but with everyday we spend together, I really want to spend more of these days with you. I know I told you earlier I finish working here tomorrow since Hinata is coming back,”

“Wait, when did you—”

“Shush, I’m speaking—”

“Okay but when did you say you were finishing work tomorrow?” Akaashi said, eyes wide.

“Literally like 20 minutes ago!” 

“What? When?” 

“After I talked about animals with hats! That’s when!”

“Oh…” Akaashi trailed off, realising that was exactly when he had zoned out, and instead chose to focus on the boy’s face rather than the words he was trying to say. 

“But anyways! That’s not the point. The point I’m trying to make is that…” Bokuto furrowed his brows, trailing off. “Wait, what was I saying again?”

Akaashi smirked, although a blush stained his cheeks, he wanted to tease the boy a little bit. “How you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Wait, I did?” Bokuto mused, “I swear I had that on my list after dating you.”

“What?!” Akaashi spluttered, his own plan backfiring on him as he felt his entire face and neck, all the way up to the tips of his ears, turn scarlet at the idea of Bokuto even proposing to him. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. But yeah anyways, Akaashi Keiji, will you go on a date with me?” Bokuto asked, his face expectant as a wide grin graced his face, spreading from one end to another in utter happiness. 

“Bokuto,” Akaashi whined, burying his face into Bokuto’s shoulder so he couldn’t see his fiery red cheeks, “you can’t just say that out of nowhere and so casually!” Bokuto just chuckled and wrapped his arms around the boy, leaning his head on the top of Akaashi’s own. 

“I take that as a yes?”

“It’s a yes, silly,” Akaashi mumbled, gripping Bokuto even tighter as he pulled them closer. A deep rumble could be felt as Bokuto let out a quiet laugh, quite the opposite of his regular booming one he had where it could be heard even from a mile away. This laugh was soft, gentle and delicate, a side to Bokuto that Akaashi hoped he was the only one to see. 

“Hey, I don’t really wanna ruin the moment of anything, because we all love a good love story as much as the next, but you’re kinda having a moment in a public space, and mind you, in my cafe,” a voice said, pointedly from behind the cafe’s counter. The two sprung apart at this, their faces redder than ever before as they both whipped around to see Tsukishima standing there, a hand on his hip and a smirk gracing his face. 

“Ah, sorry Tsukishima,” Akaashi muttered sheepishly before turning to Bokuto. “So…”

“So?”

“When’s our ‘date’?” Akaashi asked, facepalming at the boy before him. “I’m asking because I have to leave soon.”

“Ohh! Yeah, about that, are you free tomorrow?”

“Lucky for you, I am, why?”

“Well then it’s sorted, tomorrow meet me here at 11am,” Bokuto said, scribbling his number down on a pad of paper on the cafe table. “Also, text me.”

“Okay, I will,” Akaashi said, as he moved to pack up so he could go home, a small smile on his face. Once again, the doorbell rang, signalling another customer, and so Bokuto moved to greet them. 

Akaashi just smiled and slipped out of the store. He had a date tomorrow. Oh my god, he had a date tomorrow. 

And boy, was he looking forward to it. 


	2. Food Comes Before Everything Else... But Sometimes That's The Wrong Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, and according to my timezone I'm two days late, but according to EST I'm only one day late, so we're gonna pretend I actually live in America. (Just for this though, I refuse to live in America for any other reason.) But honestly, this entire chapter is just very self-indulgent BokuAka fluff so HOPEFULLY it's not too cringey and is somewhat realistic... (It really isn't but it's fine, feel lonely with me because I don't have anyone to be cute with.)
> 
> Surprisingly I didn't have a song to base this off, which made this a lot more challenging than usual. I never write without a set song in mind, but honestly I was changing music a lot so it made it a little bit messier than any other pieces of writing I've done. I also feel like it's slightly cut short but we have a whole chapter left before the end of this self-indulgent fluff. (Maybe? I don't know what I have in mind for the next chapter). 
> 
> But anyways, I do hope this is of my usual standard, and shoutout to my three editors again for going through and nitpicking all 10 pages of my 12am and sneaky in-class writing (which by the way was like a different level of terrible before the editing process.) I honestly have so much appreciation for you guys :P
> 
> Enjoy!

The autumn breeze caressed his face as he walked, a small skip in his step. His sneakers gently hit the wet cobblestone pathway, making a “pit-a-pat” sound as he moved, just like the rain did earlier that day. And then he spotted him, leaning against the hood of his convertible car, his phone in his hands as he seemed to be scrolling through mindlessly. But Akaashi knew better. He was playing Subway Surfers, much like two days ago, when he had barely beaten Akaashi’s high score. 

“Bokuto!” Akaashi called, waving his hands in the air, a smile on his face. Bokuto replied with a dazzling smile, enough to light up the entire world, and it made Akaashi’s heart skip a beat. 

“Hi, Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed, his smile never fading. “You ready?” 

“How can I be ready when I have no clue where we’re going?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

Bokuto chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll like it,” he said as he moved to open the door of his convertible for the man. 

“My, my, my, what a gentleman.” Akaashi giggled. 

“You know it,” Bokuto winked at the boy before shutting the door and moving to the driver’s seat. 

“So where are we going?”

“Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed. Oh, how Akaashi’s heart skipped a beat at the way he said his name. “If I was going to tell you, I would’ve done so earlier!” 

Akaashi rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. That doesn’t make me any less curious though.” 

A burst of silent laughter shook Bokuto’s body as he started up the car and began moving. 

“My lips are sealed.”

— 

“An amusement park?” Akaashi questioned, slightly amused. 

“As a psychology student, I’m sure you can guess why,” Bokuto smirked. 

“I do have a vague idea,” Akaashi mused, as they walked over to the entrance. 

“Didn’t you do a psychology project on attraction?”

“Yes,” Akaashi said, before adding, “well, technically it was a thesis paper, but yes, I did do a fair amount of research on the topic.”

“And if I’m correct, you did a section on first dates?” 

Akaashi hummed in response. “That would be correct.”

“And why are amusement parks the best place for a first date?”

“Because they’re cool.” 

Bokuto pouted at this, wanting a proper answer.

“Akaashi!” 

Akaashi just laughed. _He’s so cute_ , he thought. 

“C’mon, let’s go enjoy our date. We didn’t come here to talk about my thesis paper.”

The amusement park was mostly empty due to the fact they had gone on a weekday. At each ride there was a staff member: most of them bored as they scrolled through their phones mindlessly, waiting for the next person to join the, currently empty, line. It was a look that vanished in an instant when a customer came around, replaced by their best customer service smile in hopes to get a good review, and hopefully a pay raise along with that. It was a look that vanished whenever their supervisors roamed nearby, checking up on the newbies that lacked the experience and discipline of their seniors. (Arguably, there was not much experience and discipline involved, but there was always some sort of superiority complex that the seniors in the industry seemed to have over the newbies.) 

Screams and shouts of adrenaline could be heard all around them, and Akaashi's eyes trailed the colourful rides, assessing the countless possibilities that may happen on each ride. As they walked, Akaashi looked about and spotted several couples, hands intertwined as they walked around the park, holding crepes. _God, the crepes looked delicious_ , Akaashi thought. 

“Hey, hey, hey, Akaashi! Let’s go on the drop tower!” Bokuto exclaimed. He looked up when Akaashi didn’t reply and saw him staring at the beautifully decorated desserts. “Akaashi!”

Akaashi finally looked over at him and saw a soft smile gracing his date’s face. It was a warm smile—the type that reminded Akaashi of a breath of fresh air out in the countryside on a Sunday morning—and it took all of his self-control to stop himself from melting right then and there. 

“Why don’t we go get something to eat?” 

A confused expression crept up on Akaashi’s face.

“Don’t you want to go on some rides first?” 

“Yeah, but let’s do it after we eat.” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand and pulled him along to the row of food stores that were situated on the other side of the park. “C’mon, Akaashi!”

Akaashi stumbled over his feet as he trailed behind Bokuto, his arm being pulled just like a typical scene out of a romance novel. Their feet hit the ground out of sync, making Akaashi flounder around as he was dragged along, but that didn’t stop his heart from racing at the gesture. Once, twice, thrice, four times. That’s the number of times his heart would beat per second, and that’s the number of times Akaashi thought of just stopping the boy to pull him back and _hugging_ him. Eventually, they reached the crepe stall. It was a small food truck decorated in what Akaashi genuinely thought was unicorn vomit. Stickers, paint splatters, and graffiti decorated every inch of the truck, giving it a hippie vibe, so colourful it blinded him. However, the inside of the truck was the complete opposite. It was painted completely black. Black bottles, black taps, black walls: black, black, and more black. 

“What do you want?” Bokuto asked. 

“Hmm… What are you having?” 

“I might go for a Choco-nana one.”

“Then I’ll probably go for the Fruity Funk one.”

“Might I recommend?” The man that ran the stall asked. They both looked up to see a man looking down at them, a soft smile on his face. His brown hair swept to the outwards with random tufts of hair sticking up at odd angles. Over his white t-shirt, he wore an aqua coloured apron with a white lacy lining. It looked like quite a feminine apron, and yet somehow it complimented his chocolate-filled eyes that glimmered in the darkness of the truck. 

“What would you recommend?”

“I personally really like the peac–”

“Oi, Oikawa! Are you recommending the customers your trash again?!” 

“Iwa-chan! They’re amazing creations!” 

The man named Iwa-chan appeared from the side of the truck, shaking his head as he stepped into the confined space. He sported an aqua coloured shirt with a pair of plain black slacks, and a matching waist apron was tied around his body. 

“You say that and yet Hanamaki got hospitalised from food poisoning after you made onigiri!” 

“That was once! I promised I wouldn’t do it again!”

“You will NOT trial and error with MY customers.”

“Iwa-chan so mean!” 

He just ignored Oikawa as he turned to face Bokuto and Akaashi. 

“I apologise for his behaviour,” he quickly said as he flashed both Akaashi and Bokuto an award-winning customer service smile. 

“No, no, no, it’s fine!” Akaashi quickly reassured him, waving his hands frantically as Bokuto continued to eye the menu, seemingly distracted by all the options, nothing but the food on his mind. 

“Have you guys decided what you want yet?” 

“Hmm… Bokuto?” Akaashi asked, turning towards him.

“Oh, right, yeah! Can we have a Cheerful Choco-nana and the Classical Fruity Funk?”

“One Choco-nana and Fruity Funk coming right up! That totals to 900 yen, would you like anything else?”

“Akaashi?”

“Nah, I think that should be fine for now,” Akaashi said as he got out his wallet, but Bokuto quickly handed over the necessary amount, earning himself a quick slap on the arm from Akaashi. 

“Ow!” Bokuto whined as he rubbed his arm, a pout forming on his face. 

“I was gonna pay!” 

“I invited you, it’s only right that I pay.”

“But you paid for the tickets!”

“But you paid for the tickets,” Bokuto parroted in mockery. Akaashi huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms in a defensive stance. 

“You two fight like an old married couple,” Oikawa said, watching them with a small smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. “Have you been dating for a long time?” 

“Ah, today’s actually our first date!” Bokuto answered, a smile on his face, as usual.

 _How does he manage to say things like that so casually_ , Akaashi thought, a blush covering his cheeks as he moved to stand behind Bokuto. Oikawa seemed to want to say more, but his friend finished making their crepes at that moment. 

“Here you go! Thank you for coming!”

“Thank you!” Bokuto chirped, while Akaashi managed a small smile as they took the crepes that had been handed to them. 

As soon as they had sat down, Akaashi took a giant bite out of his crepe, the whipped cream decorating the corners of his mouth as his teeth sank into a sweet, juicy strawberry. He could hear a laugh coming from beside him and turned to see Bokuto watching him, his eyes glittering with emotions. Adoration? It never faded even when he moved to wipe the cream from Akaashi’s lips, or when he licked the whipped cream off his fingers. It never faded when he saw the Akaashi’s scarlet cheeks, or when Akaashi moved to bury his head in Bokuto’s shoulder, embarrassment clear on his face.

As embarrassed as Akaashi was, he couldn’t deny he loved it. 

— 

“SHOOT IT!”

“I’M TRYING!”

Seven targets down, three left to go. Then the buzzer went off, loud and clear as the fallen targets returned to their original position. Akaashi groaned. 

“Damn it!” he swore, as he placed the toy gun back in its place.

“Only three off too,” Bokuto said sadly, but immediately brightened up before adding, “at least I have a chance at beating you.”

“I’d like to see you try!” Akaashi snorted. 

“Is that a challenge?” Bokuto said as he leaned down, mere inches from his date’s face. Akaashi gulped at their proximity, eyes fluttering down to Bokuto’s rosy lips before trailing back up again to the pools of golden in his eyes. 

“Yeah,” he whispered weakly, his cheeks stained a bright crimson. How he wanted to close the distance between them so bad, but before anything could happen, Bokuto pulled away. 

“One more please!” Bokuto smiled. Then the music started, but Akaashi wasn’t listening. 

_Holy shit, did I just nearly kiss him?_ Akaashi thought. _Oh my god, are things going to be awkward from now on? Maybe he doesn’t kiss people on first dates, is that what it is? Maybe he doesn’t kiss people?! Maybe if I hadn’t been so insistent I could have kissed him? Wait, was I too insistent? Holy crap, does that mean I’ve been insistent this entire date? Maybe he doesn’t like me anymore and he’ll ditch me because I’m too insistent! Then I’ll be lonely for the rest of my life because I’m too insistent and won’t get to date anyone ever again and I’ll die all alone!_

“Akaashi? Are you okay?” Bokuto asked.

The sound of his date’s voice pulled him out of his overthinking. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah I’m alright,” he replied, gold meeting blue. In that instant, all his worries seemed to fade away; just something about his eyes was calming. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good, what’s up?” 

Bokuto looked at him sceptically, although he didn’t question it, instead choosing to mock the boy. “Just wanted to rub in the fact I beat you!”

“What?! How many did you hit down?!” Akaashi exclaimed.

“All ten because I’m a pro.” He smirked at the gaping black-haired boy before him. 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to pick a prize, people are waiting,” the man in the booth said. Akaashi looked back to see two other couples waiting behind them. 

“Oh, right, right,” Bokuto responded, looking around the booth. 

Akaashi watched as he eyed all the prizes, before settling on an owl plushie. It was a small owl, grey and white, with a deep bumblebee yellow for the eyes. The more Akaashi looked at it, the more he was reminded of Bokuto. 

“Did you choose it because it looks like you?” Akaashi asked when they had moved away from the stall. 

“Akaashi! Stop calling me out!” Akaashi just chuckled. “Besides, it’s for you anyways,” he added on as an afterthought, pushing the plushie into Akaashi’s hands.

“Wait, what?” Akaashi asked, his cheeks, once again, turning red as he stared at the owl plushie in hand.

“Oooh! Akaashi! Let’s go on the rollercoaster!” Bokuto pointed at the large menacing ride that stood tall and proud in the distance; the second tallest ride after the drop tower. He ran off in the direction of the ride. “C’mon Akaashi!”

“Bokuto!” Akaashi called, finally recovering from the shock of Bokuto’s compliment. “What was that?!”

“What was what?” Bokuto called back, turning around with an innocent look plastered on his face. Akaashi just smiled and shook his head at the boy, before running to catch up to his figure which was slowly getting smaller in the distance.

— 

Turns out, going on a rollercoaster less than an hour _after_ eating crepes was not the best idea. And so now, Akaashi and Bokuto were headed back to his car, a vomit stained shirt in Akaashi’s hands with Bokuto’s coat buttoned up over his bare torso, his body reeking of puke. It was the smell of fruit crepes mixed with the revolting bitter smell of bile and stomach acid.

“I’m so so so–”

“Akaashi! Please it’s okay,” Bokuto sighed, “Please don’t apologize anymore, it makes me feel bad. I probably should not have insisted we go on a rollercoaster after eating, it’s my fault I’m sorry.”

Akaashi just nods, not having the energy to disagree. He didn’t want to fight, but he knew if he said anything, it would just make it worse. Instead, they walked, the silence carrying the weight of a ruined date between them. 

“Okay, but lucky for you, I have a spare change of clothes in my car.” Bokuto smiled hesitantly. He was trying to cheer Akaashi up, and it wasn’t working—Akaashi’s mind was elsewhere.

“Bokuto…” Akaashi started, “Why do you just have a spare change of clothes?” He just laughs. 

“I play volleyball a lot, and sometimes I drive down to my friend’s place to play. I don’t want to make the car seats wet, so I tend to have a spare change of clothes, just in case,” he said, opening up the boot of his car. He pulled out a plain white t-shirt, that was too big for Akaashi, and a pair of black shorts from a small plastic bag. 

“I don’t want to make the car seats wet, so I tend to have a spare change of clothes, just in case,” he said, opening up the boot of his car.

“Here, you can get changed in the car, just pull the shade up and clip it onto the top of the windscreen. Also, give me your other clothes, I’ll put them in the plastic bag and then you can take it home to wash.” 

Akaashi nodded in acknowledgement before he stepped into the passenger seat of the car and closed the door. He moved to peel his pants off, replacing them with the shorts Bokuto had given him, before moving to unbutton the coat that covered his bare body and began to pull on the plain white tee over his head.

Keyword. Began. 

If it wasn’t for the blasted rain that made Bokuto scream at the sudden downpour and quickly open the door to let himself in. While Akaashi was half-naked, gaping at the sudden presence of another person in the car. 

“Christ, the rain is terrible, isn’t that right Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, turning to look at the boy with a bright smile on his face. It slowly disappeared as his face reddened and he cleared his throat, turning to face the window. 

“I’ll just–” Akaashi started, awkwardly, fumbling with the shirt that was around his neck.

“Yeah, I’ll be–”

“–changing here–”

“–facing this way–”

“–but please don’t look.”

“–and I won’t look.”

“Alright.”

“Yeah.”

While Akaashi fumbled with the shirt, he heard the soft sound of Bokuto sighing, slightly muffled by the sound of the rain pounding down on the textile roof, begging with every drop to be let in. _Well, this was a_ great _date_ , he thought. 

“You can turn around now,” Akaashi said. The blush from before was still lingering on Bokuto’s cheeks, and the smile that usually could be seen was completely gone, replaced by an embarrassed look.

“We prob–” Akaashi began.

“I’m s–” Bokuto started at the same time. They both looked at each other with wide eyes. 

“You fir–”

“You can sta–” 

“Well, I’ll–” 

“Okay, I will–” 

And then silence. Neither knew what to say as they both fumbled over their words, clearly still bothered by what had just occurred between them. _God, I want to die_ , Akaashi thought. 

“Y’know,” Bokuto started, “we seem to have such bad luck.”

Akaashi turned to look at the boy that sat behind the steering wheel that stared at the textile roof above them, head leaning against the headrest. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, look how our date went…” Bokuto trailed off. Akaashi thought about it. The puking, their date cut short, and now the rain. Akaashi giggled.

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

“But, y’know, Akaashi,” Bokuto started, turning to look at the boy beside him. His eyes held such an intensity that it made Akaashi want to melt. He wanted to look away, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to—he felt trapped. “I’m alright with it because if I’m with you, I know everything will be okay.”

Akaashi’s eyes widened. 

“W-what?” he stuttered out, a fiery blush spreading across his neck, up to his face and the tips of his ears. Bokuto chuckled, eyes turning into crescent moons as the sound of his laughter filled up the little car, louder than the sound of the rain. 

“You’re so cute,”

“Bokuto!” Akaashi’s blush didn’t fade as he hid his face in his hands. “You really can’t just say things like that!”

“But Akaashi,” Bokuto whined, “I meant it.” 

A pout made its way onto his face and Akaashi screamed. Internally of course, because over his dead body would he ever let out a high-pitched fangirl scream in front of Bokuto. But the look he had, oh, the look he had on his face, how cute it was. It made him want to kiss him, oh so gently. But he didn’t. He just smiled, silent laughter shaking his body at Bokuto’s pout.

“What are we going to do now?” Akaashi asked, changing the subject before Bokuto could protest anymore. With that singular question Bokuto’s eyes seemed to light up, a smile moving onto his face to replace the pout. 

“Why don’t we have another date, one without mistakes and in the right order this time?”

Akaashi smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

And with that Bokuto started up the car. 

“Wait… Where are we going?” Bokuto asked. 

“My place is pretty close by, should we go there?”

“Okay, sure.”

Silence. 

“Where is that again?”

“Should I just drive?”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea.”

— 

Akaashi’s place wasn’t big. It was a small apartment that was mostly empty with nothing but a cupboard, a small table, a TV, clock and couch in the main room. At one end was a sliding door which led out to a mini balcony where anyone could see out across the vast city that looked like ants below them. To the right, there were two extra rooms which came off the main room, one with a desk, a built-in closet and a set of drawers (of which Bokuto assumed was a bedroom turned study room) and the other was the bathroom. 

However, the main room, which was once bare, was now filled. Blankets, pillows, and sheets were flung around to make a giant blanket fort. Soft toys were situated in a row at the head of the futons which acted as padding against the hard ground. At the other end stood the TV which was connected up to Akaashi’s laptop and was currently streaming the movie ‘Train to Busan’. Honestly, they weren’t even watching the movie. The two of them were too busy eating dinner as they filled their stomachs with onigiri and various dishes that they had ordered from a newly opened chain store that Bokuto had recommended called ‘Onigiri Miya’. Akaashi had to admit, it tasted pretty good.

“Where did you hear about ‘Onigiri Miya’?” Akaashi asked, diving in to nab another onigiri from the takeout box. 

“Ah! This guy on my volleyball team, Atsumu Miya, is the twin brother of the owner,” he replied. “We often get takeout from this place after matches because we can get discounts.”

“If you ever get the chance, send my compliments to the chef. It’s really good!”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

Almost as quick as it was ordered, all the food seemed to disappear, their stomach’s acting like vacuums as they practically sucked it all in. And soon they were left with nothing but empty takeout containers and full stomachs as they leaned back against the wall lined with pillows. The words they TV characters seemed to speak was nothing but background noise as Akaashi looked out the window, trailing the raindrops that slid down the glass, choosing two to race. He didn’t realise Bokuto had crept closer till he felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around his waist, the warmth of Bokuto’s body radiating off onto Akaashi’s own. Butterflies fluttered in Akaashi’s stomach. 

“Whatcha thinking of?” Bokuto asked, placing his chin in the crook of Akaashi’s neck. 

“I’m racing raindrops,” he answered. Bokuto shifted to look at Akaashi, putting a slight gap between them which made Akaashi whine at the loss of warmth. 

“What’s that?” Bokuto questioned, drawing a gasp from Akaashi. 

“What?! Have you never raced raindrops before?!” He exclaimed. 

“No…” Bokuto tilted his head in confusion. 

“WHAT?!” Akaashi shouted, pulling away. “Did you even have a childhood?!”

He instead got no response. All he got was a look of bewilderment and puzzlement from Bokuto as he seemed to get more and more confused by the second. 

“Okay, we’re going to teach you how to race raindrops,” Akaashi said, moving closer to Bokuto so he was situated in his lap. “First, you pick two raindrops at a similar height, then you just watch to see whichever reaches the bottom first. The one that does is the winner.”

“Doesn’t that sound kind of…” Bokuto trailed off, trying to figure out the right word, “boring?”

“Okay, I admit, my explanation probably wasn’t the best, but it’s fun! Trust me and try it!” 

“Alright,” Bokuto said, his tone sceptical, but followed through anyway. “I choose that one, and that one.”

“Now watch to see whichever reaches the bottom first,” Akaashi said. Bokuto held Akaashi closer as he watched his two chosen drops. 

“Number one is winning,” he said, but just as he spoke, the second raindrop combined itself with another and overtook the first one. “Wait what?! But number one was winning!”

Akaashi just laughed as he gazed at Bokuto. The TV light was reflecting off of his face, his golden eyes shining just like an owl in the darkness of the room. They were bewitching, like whirlpools of honey, so sweet, beautiful, so captivating, curiosity and happiness shining through. The way his features, so sharp and defined, like crystals; it was so imperfect yet perfect, and the way his hair was flat against his forehead from running in the rain from the car into Akaashi’s apartment was so attractive it made his heart race. Oh how badly he wanted to plant kisses to every inch of his face and cuddle him senseless.

And so perhaps it was the fact the evening was new, or maybe it was the way Bokuto’s smile would radiate warmth and cosiness that made Akaashi feel this way. It could’ve also been the feeling of contentment Akaashi felt after eating his fill of takeout, or perhaps it was the feeling of Bokuto’s secure arms around his waist. But as he looked at Bokuto, he knew. 

_Oh fuck. I’m in love_ , Akaashi thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is said that if you take someone to an amusement park on a first date, it increases your chances of being viewed as attractive. It's part of a classic study done by Dutton and Aron. The study suggests that all the feelings of anxiousness (heart palpitations, nausea, shortness of breath etc.) are also feelings people have when they're sexually aroused which somehow makes them more attractive or something,,, It made sense when I read it but I'm not sure if I explained it right HAHAHA you can always search it up if you're interested. But that was basically what Bokuto was referencing at the start of the chapter when they briefly talked about Akaashi's thesis paper. 
> 
> Anyways, till next chapter <3  
> \- Rain


End file.
